Amy Winehouse was one of a kind, there's no denying it. Her soulful voice, infectious smile and cackle - not to mention her wholesome personality.
Her death in 2011 saw the loss of one of the best musicians of our time. Amy was way ahead of most of today's artists, writing her own lyrics and even arranging her own music. Something a lot of new artists should take inspiration from, rather than putting their vocals over the lyrics of somebody written on another continent.
As a huge fan of her growing up, I had newspaper clippings of almost every picture used and posters across my room. Her second studio album Back To Black was the soundtrack to my early teens. Despite her troubles and battles, Amy was somebody that everybody could relate to.
I felt a bit uneasy when I heard that there were talks about turning her life and legacy into a biopic - and sadly, I believe I was right to be concerned.
Amy Winehouse's name and legacy should not be used in such a damaging way (Getty Images for NARAS)
Don't get me wrong, Marisa gave it her all in the movie but it didn't portray the real Amy (Getty Images)Ever since its debut last week, the film has been hit with a barrage of criticism and one-star reviews - with the Guardian's Laura Snapes blasting the "shallow" biopic's "grotesque insult" to the late singer. The movie shockingly goes so far as to suggest that - despite the injustices that Amy faced over the years - she died from heartache over her childlessness. While The Standard's Hamish Mcbain declared "it was so bad it made me gasp in horror".
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Yet, director Sam Taylor-Johnson has fiercely defended the film, suggesting: "If you go see the film, I think you’ll understand what I wanted to do was to celebrate and uphold her." She also explained why Amy's family had no involvement in the film - which had been one of her demands before taking on the project. "I just didn't want to have to have people to answer to. I had to be able to tell the story the way I wanted," she told The Hollywood Reporter.
One of my main issues with the film is its inability to really reflect who the real, complex person Amy was, instead choosing to focus heavily on her tragic battle with addiction. By effectively simplifying her down to her addiction, it failed to truly show her incredibly rise to global stardom, her life as a loving daughter, sister to Alex, friend to Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay and so many more. Why wasn't any of this shown?
Blake has stated on record he introduced Amy to heroin – why wasn't that included? (Getty Images)
Catriona (left) and Naomi (right) two of Amy's closest friends didn't appear in the film (Getty Images for The Recording Academy)Instead, one scene in the film depicts police storming in to arrest her former husband, Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O'Connell) while the pair are in bed. Another scene shows Amy smoking a crack pipe after being told her record label was not going to release her debut album Frank in the US.
Hardly any of Amy's music is used, with Rehab, arguably her biggest hit featuring in the last ten minutes. While songs like You Know I'm No Good not being heard at all. Surely if a biopic is being made on someone's legacy, the music should play a huge part in the movie, similar to Elton John's Rocketman.
For anybody who didn't know much about Amy, you would leave the cinema or your sofa assuming that she got herself into Class A drugs which is far from the case. Fielder-Civil has even gone on record admitting on The Jeremy Kyle Show that he introduced Amy to heroin, so why wasn't this highlighted? In one scene, we see Amy and Blake doing crack together but weirdly, only Amy is seen using. Another scene implies that Blake is the reason Amy got herself clean.
Amy was way ahead of the game, no artist can compare to her (PA)
We should be celebrating Amy's voice and legacy, not taking advantage of it (Getty Images)But Amy was clean of drugs before her death, according to her step-mum Jane Winehouse, who had known Amy since she was two. She previously told The Independent that Amy "did get off drugs" before the "alcohol sadly kicked in". She added: "She did that pretty much herself. Towards the end, the gaps – the periods of sobriety – were getting longer."
Amy's partner, film director and writer Reg Traviss, during the final months of her life was also strangely edited out from the film. Friends of the singer suggested that Amy was at her happiest during the relationship.
Similarly, Mark Ronson was not depicted in the film - an odd decision considering he was heavily involved in her breakthrough second album. He isn't depicted in the film at all, despite his close involvement in her career, and is just name-checked a few times. It was later revealed that Canadian actor Jeff Tunke had been supposed to portray the Grammy and Oscar-winning producer, but the scenes had ended up on the cutting room floor.
It feels so wrong to have missed so many vital moments which left a huge mark on her career.
One positive in the film is Marisa Abela - a fantastic actress whose dream was to land the job of portraying Amy. While I'm unsure if the casting was quite right, she put a huge amount of effort into understanding who she was. While most just take on the role, Marisa moved to Amy's beloved Camden and drank in The Hawley Arms where Amy was known to get behind the bar and help out.
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Sadly, however, again the pub was missed out in the film despite playing such a vital part in Amy's life and career. She was also known to go upstairs to write music and let her hair down in peace – albeit while waving to people walking past, in true Amy style.
Amy was indeed naughty and mischievous but that's why she was loved by millions and connected to everybody on a personal level. She wasn't what she's been portrayed to be over the years. It's time we left her legacy alone and celebrated Amy, properly, remembering her success and achievements.
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